


Run Boy Run

by riversketch



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Amino Cartoon Olympics entry 2017, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, I might make this multiple chapters, Lance (Voltron)-centric, Langst, My First Fanfic, Oneshot, Platonic Allurance, Post-S3 E3 The Hunted, Voltron Season 3 Spoilers, kind of?, stay tuned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-14 12:44:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11783430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riversketch/pseuds/riversketch
Summary: Lance has nightmares, but comfort comes from a surprising source.





	Run Boy Run

**Author's Note:**

> So... here are my thoughts on how Lance may have handled the events of S3 E3 "The Hunted." It's my first ever fanfic, so I hope you like it! I like suggestions for improvement, so feel free to comment! This was written for the Cartoon Olympics 2017 on Amino ~

Lance lunges upright, his top sheet flying off him to the floor. Drenched in sweat, Lance heaves for air. His mind whirling at a thousand miles per second; his heart pounding painfully in his chest. He looked around the room in an effort to regain his grounding. “I’m okay, everything’s alright,” Lance rasped out to himself in a sort of mantra.  
His room was still and stale, a soft hum coming from the vents above. The glowing alien alarm clock on the tiny nightstand beside the bed showed that it was 2:03am, or at least that’s what time the ship was set for. Coran suggested the paladins get on a more regular sleeping schedule for proper rest and for their own health; Allura and Shiro were quick to agree with Coran’s logic, so Pidge and Hunk helped Coran set up a timetable for the Castle – the team dubbed the time zone “Castle Time” (not particularly creative to Pidge’s dismay).  
Lance let out a groan before throwing his long legs over the side of the bed, sitting on the edge for a moment. His eyes watered and stung, flashes of his nightmare still racing through his thoughts.

“Naturally dumb.” Pidge laughed through the coms.

Lance winces, pissed at himself for letting those words actually affect him.

“Yeah, he was born with it.” Hunk’s voice playfully chimes in.

‘Not you too, buddy,’ thought Lance miserably. He couldn’t believe that Hunk had joined in on Pidge’s taunting. Hunk has always been there for Lance, supporting him through even his most reckless ideas and schemes. Hunk was the first friend he made back at the Garrison, and the only friend to tolerate his overly animated personality and remain at his side all this time.  
He was the one person who knew Lance best, or so Lance thought.  
Lance’s thoughts eventually drift to the new leader and head of Voltron, Keith fucking Kogane. Even despite the dick-ish, impulsive decisions that almost put the entire team in danger, he still seemed to get more respect than Lance. It was frustrating and aggravating to no end.  
‘Why would Black want someone so hotheaded to lead?’ Lance thought, frowning at his sheets that pooled on the floor by his feet. ‘A leader is supposed to be, I don’t know, supportive and wise… like Shiro…’ Lance felt tears begin to threaten his vision again.

“Look, I'm glad we're all making fun of Lance…”

‘Yeah, you would be…’ thought Lance bitterly as his memories of that awful wild goose chase with Prince Loser – Lotor, whatever – continued to flood his brain.  
However, his nightmares lately have been taking on a new form, much worse than cruel teasing. They all shifted to Shiro returning. Blue refusing to take back Lance. The guilt and shame of even trying to reacquire a position that the princess so rightfully deserved and earned. Then the inevitable boot from the team.  
Always Lance would wake abruptly from the heart-retching ache and pain of his fellow paladins, his friends, leaving him behind on some planet to find a way back to Earth. They would look at him with a range of expressions from pity to disappointment to disgust as they turned away to continue with their awesome mission of defending the universe.  
Lance’s stomach did a violent somersault at the thought that he was only needed for as long as Shiro is missing. With the princess now piloting Blue, Lance couldn’t help feeling that his new position as Red’s paladin would be short-lived. Keith would definitely want Red back. Lance, despite his constant quarrel with the guy, would not fight him on that. Keith belonged to Red, just like Lance thought he belonged with Blue until… yeah.

With a sigh, Lance stood up. Sleep was obviously not an option at this rate. Lance shuffled over to his closet and threw on his jacket. Lance walked out of his room towards the Lions’ hangar to talk with Blue – hopefully. Her soft hum and purr that filled his skull would be a welcomed distraction and comfort right about now.

~ ~ ~  
His feet halted outside hangar, a faint voice coming from within the hangar. “What the…” Lance spoke softly, his voice still hoarse with sleep. He walked inside slowly, careful to wrap around to the side of the hangar to get a closer look at whoever was also up at freaking 2 something in the morning.

“...really think I am progressing enough?” an elegant voice rang out in the hangar.

“Allura?” Lance whispered to himself, shocked to hear Allura speak with so much doubt and insecurity in her voice. Lance spotted her sitting a few feet away from Blue, with her legs drawn up against her chest and her head titled up towards the Lion. Blue seemed to be listening, with its giant head titled downwards at the princess.  
Lance couldn’t feel the familiar pressure on the back of his skull or hear the purr in his mind, but he knew that Blue was reassuring the princess because her frown softened and her arms loosened their tight grip around her legs.

“Well, that is good to hear,” a sad smile appeared on her face, nearly breaking Lance’s heart. He recognized that smile. He had seen it plenty of times before in the mirror. He stepped out from behind the pillar that hid him and spoke up, “You make an awesome paladin, princess.”

Allura gasped sharply, immediately getting to her feet at Lance’s approach. She wore a dainty white, floor-length nightgown laced with pink and blue, and small, narrow white slippers. Her eyes were watery from exhaustion and her hair was half up in a bun. Otherwise, the princess looked her usual beautiful, respectable self.

“Oh, um, sorry… for interrupting, princess. I was just…” Lance stammered out, unable and not wanting to burden the princess with the truth.

Allura raised an eyebrow, looking at her disheveled friend. Lance wore simple blue pajama bottoms, his jacket, and the blue lion slippers. His hair stuck up at all ends, and his face didn’t have the usual shit grin that he proudly wore during the day.

“That’s quite alright, Lance. But… may I ask why you are up at this hour?” Allura questioned sternly, but also with concern. She always managed to turn the attention to others and away from herself which Lance found particularly interesting. She also makes for a great mother figure. Pidge openly called her ‘Space Mom’ to Hunk, which Hunk later relayed to Lance during a midnight snack a few nights ago.

Pushing his wandering thoughts to the side, Lance looked around the hangar, “Oh um, I came to talk to Blue.” Lance answered simply, avoiding eye contact with the princess.  
Allura softened at Lance’s words. ‘Of course, the Blue Lion and Lance do have the strongest bond between paladin and lion, far better than the others,’ thought Allura to herself as she realized how her talking to Blue must have looked to Lance.  
Blushing, Allura spoke quickly, “I will leave you to talk with your Lion.”

She turned to leave before Lance’s hand reached out and grabbed her arm. She looked at his hand, then followed up his arm to his face. Lance gave the princess a soft, sad smile. He removed his hand, blushing. As he shuffled in place unsure of himself (a sight that had the princess confused – she never saw Lance hesitant), until finally he spoke before the princess could ask why she was stopped.

“I’m serious, you know. What I said? I meant it. Blue chose you for a reason. I trust Blue, and if that awful mission on Thayserix is any show of your awesomeness then I don’t know what is… You were the one who got us out of there!” Lance gestured wildly around himself indicating the Castle and the fact that the paladins were all back and in their beds (sort of).  
“And, Allura? I couldn’t be happier with Blue’s choice,” Lance looked up at Blue and smiled as he felt the familiar pressure of the Lion’s presence in his brain.

Allura gave a small smile in return, almost missed by Lance who luckily looked away from Blue in time to see it. She sighed tenderly, eyes falling to the floor, “I suppose you are right. If Blue chose me than I must be a worthy pilot.” Grinning almost to herself, she looks up again, “After all, I do fly the Castle like, how you say, like a boss.”  
Lance snorted, “¡Dios Mío!” Lance clapped a hand over his mouth, laughter forcibly muffled causing his eyes to water from the effort.  
Allura crossed her arms and puffed out her lower lip in a pout, “What is it? Is that not how the idiom is expressed?”  
Lance wiped away a tear in an exaggerated swoop of his hand, but grinned with sincerely at the miffed woman in front of him. Despite being a full two inches taller than Allura (which wasn’t the case when she wanted to be taller – damn shapeshifting), she can be quite intimidating.  
“No, no, you used the…um, idiom? Yeah, you used it right, no worries,” Lance smirked flirtatiously, feeling slightly better than when he entered the hangar.

Allura beamed triumphantly back at Lance, and nodded her head politely, “Very well then, I suppose I best be off to bed.” Allura turned to make her way out of the hangar, but paused for a moment.

“And Lance?”

“Hmm?” Lance answered.

“Thank you.” And with that, Allura exited the hangar leaving Lance alone with Blue and the other Lions. He sat down with his legs crossed, a small huff escaped his lips. ‘Funny, she didn’t order me off to bed,’ thought Lance humorously.

Lance remained still, lost in his thoughts, for a varga and some doboshs before he figured it was best to try to get some sleep while he still can. He stood up to leave, flashing Blue a half-hearted, sleepy flirtatious grin, “Stay shiny, babe.”

Before Lance could exit the hangar, Blue let out a low rumbly purr causing Lance to smile his way back to his room.


End file.
